Kevin Lynch’s conceptual portraits are what first brought Hollywood knocking
and they’re what keep production companies, publicists, and the celebrities
they showcase coming back for more.

Enthusiastic clientele are drawn to his stylish, edgy, and experimental lighting
techniques. They turn to him and his team for the new and sometimes unusual.
Lynch, who has earned creative freedom with his Hollywood clients, finds work
is a pleasure. “I think a photographer’s ideal is to have their
personal work merge with their commercial work so they can totally enjoy what
they do.”

Having assisted Greg Gorman in Los Angeles early on and now the head of his
own studio serving A-list clients, Lynch has already met this goal.

“When I bring my portfolio into a meeting at a movie studio, they like
the portraits of personalities in my images. What’s even better is when
art directors become intrigued with my personal projects.” More often than
not, Lynch’s admirers respond intuitively to his experimental, nonconformist
approach.

“My clients like my approach to lighting, sure,” he says, “but
I also think it’s the unconventional take I go after, the drama I try to
capture. Not being ‘commercial’ means I won’t always get a
Disney job with a dog jumping in the air, but instead of that I’ll get
shoots on such films as the upcoming Spiderman III, which suits me just fine.”

Keeping it Fresh

Working with celebrities some 10 years, Lynch has developed his own perspective
on the movie industry.

“My take is that the movie industry is always looking for something fresh,
and I think sometimes people are more interested in edgier stuff—giving
me more freedom to come up with new ideas. My forte is portraiture, and coming
up with new ways to keep it interesting is what really makes it fun for me.

“The trick is to be able to wholly control your lighting, and always, always
be ready to go at any given moment. In the movie business, you might wait two
or three days for the five minutes you’ll eventually be given to make photographs.”

For the searing image of Gary Dourdan (left), Lynch decided to illuminate
his subject’s face with a 4k HMI, which he diffused with 4’x4’ silk. “Using
an HMI to light portraits adds a lot of light and color to the eyes, and brings
an intense drama, while keeping the light soft and easily controllable,” Lynch
explains.

For the Paz Vega portrait, taken at the La Figueroa Hotel in Los Angeles,
he used available light with a Briese Focus 220 umbrella for flattering light
placement.
To create a 1920s look for Lucy Liu (p. 39, top), Lynch used a 6k HMI diffused
with silk and combined it with foam core-modified strobes, producing a soft,
creamy look to her features.

Even his manipulation of natural light, accented by strobes and strip lights,
commands a second look from his loyal and growing clientele.

Several of Lynch’s more recent portrait works, including an upcoming
book from powerHouse Books, featuring before-and-after portraits of Ultimate
Fighting Championship competitors, reveal his masterful work with single globes.

“To replicate the feeling of a locker room light bulb, I use Briese or
Profoto globe lights, shining down on the subject, but not immediately revealing
his or subject’s feelings.” He used a single, overhead Profoto globe
light tor the moody Alfred Molina image (p. 36, bottom right).

“It gives the portrait a sense of mystery and depth through its shadowing.”

Freedom and Discipline

Lynch’s experimental methodology requires thorough rehearsal and planning.
He chooses his team of assistants, producers, and stylists carefully,
and knows he does his best work when the group is working as a team, as a family.